Friday, January 31, 2014

I honestly can't remember if I signed up for the monthly coffeehouse book club for January or not. I've read several books this month and reviewed 3 of them here on the blog in the last week. I'm currently in the middle of Rick Riordan's SEA OF MONSTERS (yes well, I never read the first Percy Jackson until last November, right? So give me a break!) but I've also been asked to preview Shawna Romkey's novel, a sequel to SPEAK OF THE DEVIL. THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT will be available in the spring.

But. Back to today's post, and that gorgeous cover...

Today I'm featuring a new-to-me author, Tara Maya, who writes fantasy... and has a really eye-catching book cover! I'm visiting her blog next month, and am excited to share book one of her new series, The Unfinished Song. I haven't read the book yet, but it sounds really intriguing.

INITIATE is FREE right now on Amazon, Smashwords and Kobo - there's an excerpt below for you to try, and the links follow if you want to go ahead and download the whole story. I'm certainly going to grab one, and will post a review when I finish.

About the Book:

DEADLY INITIATION

A DETERMINED GIRL...

Dindi can't do anything right, maybe because she spends more
time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off
and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful
warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a
mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi's
clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a
plan.

AN EXILED WARRIOR...

Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but
when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn't commit, he decides
to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don't kill him first, this
is his chance to escape the shadow of his father's wars and his mother's curse.
But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as
deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or
fight for her... assuming she would even accept the help of an exile.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

EXCERPT from INITIATE by Tara Maya:

Blue-skinned rusalki grappled Dindi under the churning
surface of the river. She could feel their claws dig into her arms. Their
riverweed-like hair entangled her legs when she tried to kick back to the
surface. She only managed to gulp a few breaths of air before they pulled her
under again.

She hadn't appreciated how fast and deep the river was. On
her second gasp for air, she saw that the current was already dragging her out
of sight of the screaming girls on the bank. A whirlpool of froth and fae
roiled between two large rocks in the middle of the river. The rusalka and her
sisters tugged Dindi toward it. Other water fae joined the rusalki. Long
snouted pookas, turtle-like kappas and hairy-armed gwyllions all swam around
her, leading her to the whirlpool, where even more fae swirled in the
whitewater.

"Join our circle, Dindi!" the fae voices gurgled
under the water. "Dance with us forever!"

"No!" She kicked and swam and stole another gasp
for air before they snagged her again. There were so many of them now, all
pulling her down, all singing to the tune of the rushing river. She tried to
shout, "Dispel!" but swallowed water instead. Her head hit a rock,
disorienting her. She sank, this time sure she wouldn't be coming up again.

"Dispel!" It was a man's voice.

Strong arms encircled her and lifted her until her arms and
head broke the surface. Her rescuer swam with her toward the shore. He
overpowered the current, he shrugged aside the hands of the water faeries
stroking his hair and arms. When he reached the shallows, he scooped Dindi into
his arms and carried her the rest of the way to the grassy bank. He set her
down gently.

She coughed out some water while he supported her back.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded. He was young--only a few years older than she.
The aura of confidence and competence he radiated made him seem older. Without
knowing quite why, she was certain he was a Tavaedi.

"Good." He had a gorgeous smile. A wisp of his
dark bangs dangled over one eye. He brushed his dripping hair back over his
head.

Dindi's hand touched skin--he was not wearing any shirt.
Both of them were sopping wet. On him, that meant trickles of water coursed
over a bedrock of muscle. As for her, the thin white wrap clung transparently
to her body like a wet leaf. She blushed.

"It might have been easier to swim if you had let go of
that," he teased. He touched her hand, which was closed around something.
"What were you holding onto so tightly that it mattered more than
drowning?"

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Sound Interesting? You can grab the book for FREE right now and read the rest! The links are below! Want to read more about this author and this book? Stalk Find her online in the following hot spots...

Thursday, January 30, 2014

I am in love with this cover - I'm so glad I signed up to be part of this cover reveal! Ready? Ready?

Oooh, I love this so much!! Must...read... And now for the blurb...

About the Book:

Enemies by circumstance of Creation

Sworn to their purpose, the Vampire and the Witch

were created to battle over the fate of mankind.

He was the First

Until one Vampire sought a Higher Purpose.

She was the Beginning

And one Witch’s faith brought Darkness into the
Light.

Their love would turn the course of the Ancient War…

Before the Prophecy, an Ancient Queen and the
Vampire she loved

would forge the path for those that would follow.

Mistaken

Ancients of Light #4

Spring 2014

What??? I have to wait until spring??? Arghhhh....

About the author:

Heather Fleener lives in Indiana with her husband, D.A. and
their twins, Thomas and Alexandra. Professionally she has spent her career
working in the area of Intellectual Property law.

Reading has been a passion of hers since she was young and
she has adored romance novels her entire life. The romantic styles of Judith
McNaught and Julie Garwood are her inspiration, though she has read and loved
the stories of countless other authors. Her fascination with the paranormal
began to form at the young age of six, watching late-night ghost and vampire
movies with her Grandpa. Unfortunately, as a result, she also remains afraid of
the dark to this day.

Combining her love of epic romances and the supernatural was
a natural progression for her overactive imagination. When the idea for the
Ancients of Light series began, it was an abstract story line rambling around
in her head to help kill a few miles on the treadmill. As the stories and
plotlines continued to grow, it finally became necessary to put the words to
paper and build the characters that had been living in the Realm and having
conversations in her head for months.

The series is a testament to many miles on the treadmill and
lots of characters that insist on having their stories told.

Available now!

Join me to talk about writing!

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Winter romance on Cape Cod

Paranormal Suspense with a splash of Romance

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cape cod romance at its Quirkiest

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Son of a Mermaid, Book One

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Son of a Mermaid, Book Two

Best Selling Cape Cod Romance

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Welcome!

I'm an author, editor, magazine columnist, wife, and mother to three kids and two big dogs... not necessarily in that same order each day. I try to write every day and read a book a week, but life often gets in the way.

I write romance and adventure for young adults and the young at heart, and living next to the Atlantic Ocean influences everything I write...